HOw omitting the building of three ca|stels, one at Tipporarie, the other at Arch|phin, & the third at Lismore, after the com|ming of earle Iohn, & speaking nothing of the euill fortune of thrée woorthie yoong men; Robert Barrie at Lismore, Reimond Fitzhugh at Olethan, and Reimond Cantitinensis at Odrona. Of part of the garrison of Archphin slaine in the wood there, by the prince of Limerike on Midsummer daie, & foure knights there killed, not without manfull defense. Of them of Limerike, and the noble man Ograine slaine at Tipporarie. Of them of Archphin slaine a|gaine by those of Limerike in taking of a preie. Of Dermucius Mac Arthie prince of Desmond, with others slaine in a parlée neere Corke by them of Corke, and the garrison of Theobald brother to Walter. Of the slaughter of them of Kencolon, with their prince inuading Meth by the men there|of, & William Litle, and one hundred of their heads sent to Dublin. Of the finding out of the bodies of Patrike, Brigid, & Columbe at Dundalke, & their translation from thense by the procurement of Iohn de Curcie.
Of the heading of Hugh Lacie at Dornach, through the treason of his owne Irishmen. Of the killing of twelue noble knights vnder Iohn de Cur|cie, in the returne from Connagh. Of the traitorous and lamentable slaughter of Roger Powre, and manie others in Osserie: and thorough that occa|sion, the priuie conspiracie of all Ireland against the Englishmen, manie castels being therewith de|stroied. All which things are not vnwoorthie to be re|corded, when the dominion was translated to the kings son. But assigning these dooings to other wri|ters, we will proceed to more profitable matters. How and wherefore this first enterprise of the kings son had no good successe I thought good to declare brieflie: that this finall addition (albeit it can not be a cure to that which is past) yet it may be a caueat for things to come. ¶ This recapitulation followeth in a more absolute forme, pag. 53. which being de|liuered Note. out of sundrie copies, doo perfect one ano|ther.]
When all things méete and necessarie for so great a iournie or voiage were at the king his com|mandement and charges made readie; then Iohn the kings yoonger sonne a little before made lord of Ireland, was seut ouer; and in the Lent time (1) he tooke leaue of his father, and as he tra|uelled towards saint Dauids to take shipping, he passed and rode along by the sea coasts of South|wals, and so came to (2) Penbroke. There brought and accompanied him vnto the ship a noble and a worthie man named Reinulfe Glanuile, one of the K. his most priuie councell in all weightie matters; as also cheefe iustice of England. And on wednes|daie in the Easter weeke, the wind being at east and blowing a good gale, he tooke ship in Milford hauen, but for hast he left to doo his deuotion and oblation at saint Dauids, which was but an euill halsoning: ne|uerthelesse on the next morrow about noonetide he arriued in safetie vnto Waterford with all his com|panie, which were about thrée hundred gentlemen, and of bowmen, footmen, horssemen, and others a great number. Then was fulfilled the vaticine or prophesie of old Merlin: A burning globe shall rise Prophesies of Merlin fulfilled. out of the east, & shall compasse about the land of Ire|land, and all the soules of that Iland shall flée round about the fire. And hauing spoken these words of the father, he continueth his speech, and thus speaketh of his sonne: And of this fire shall rise a sparkle, for feare of which all the inhabiters of the land shall tremble and be afraid: and yet he that is absent shall be more estéemed than he that is present, and better shall be the successe of the first than of the second.
Iohn at this his first arriuall into Ireland was of the age of 12 yeres, which was from the first arri|uall of his father thirtéene yeares, of the landing of the earle Strangbow fouretéene yeares, and from the first entrance of Robert Fitzstephans fiftéene yeares, and the yeare of our Lord one thousand one hundred eightie and fiue, Lucius then Romane bi|shop, Frederike the emperor, and Philip the French king. There passed ouer with the king in the same fléet manie good clerks, among whome (3) one was speciallie commended vnto this yoong lord by his fa|ther, for that he was a diligent searcher of naturall [page 52] histories, as also had béene before two yeares in the same land, and there collected sundrie notes, and suf|ficient matter as well for his historie, as for his to|pographie: and which after that he was returned home, and attending in the court, did (as leisure ser|ued him) digest and set in good order of a booke, the same being his labor of thrée yéeres. A trauell to him painefull, but to his posteritie profitable, although much misliked and enuied at by such as then were li|uing: the one liked it well, but the other dispraised it; the one reaped a benefit and commoditie, but the other of a secret malice maligning the same, fret|ted in his humor, and was grauelled in his owne fellie.
(1) The first voiage of the king his sonne, being then but a child of twelue yéeres of age: the English chronicles doo make small mention therof. But such as doo write thereof, doo report that the king brought his sonne as farre as Glocester on this iornie: and there dubbing and honoring him with the degree of knighthood, sent him on his iornie.
(2) Penbroke is an old and an ancient towne, builded by a noble man named Arnulph Montgome|rie the ancestor of the Carews, whose names are Montgomeries, & lieth in Westwales named De|metia, but now of this towne is called Penbroke|shire. The ancient house of the Ca [...]ws. It standeth vpon a créeke of Milford hauen, about two miles from the castell Carew: of which castell the Montgomeries builded, and there dwel|ling tooke the name thereof, & were called Carews, which name that familie dooth yet reteine. In this towne of Penbroke standeth a goodlie and a strong castell, which hath béene in times past the seat and house of manie a noble man bearing the name of the earles of Penbroke. In this was king Henrie the seuenth borne. It is now in great ruine and in decaie.
(3) This man ment here is Giraldus Cambren|sis the author of this booke, who (as it appeareth by this and other his works) was learned and much giuen to studie. He was archdeacon of saint Dauids, and descended from Girald of Windsore, and the ladie Nesta his wife, for he was the son of Maurice, and the sonne of the foresaid Girald and Nesta: and so this Girald of Windsore was his Proauus or great grandfather.